861. The first case which I shall give is in the words of Mr. Wedgwood, in the Journal S.P.R. for December, 1889 (vol. iv. p. 174).

Whenever I have an opportunity, perhaps once or twice a year, I sit at planchette-writing with my friend, whom I will call Mrs. R., a most observant witness in whom I have entire confidence. We sit opposite each other at a small table, each resting the fingers of one hand lightly upon the board, and when the board begins to move, allow our hand to follow the movement freely without interfering with it in any way.

The following account of our last sitting, on June 26th, is from the journal of Mrs. R., written the same evening, transcribing the part of planchette from the actual writing, and filling in our share of the investigation from immediate memory.

Extract from journal of Wednesday, June 26th, 1889, and copy of planchette-turiting with Mr. Wedgwood:-

"A spirit is here to-day who we think will be able to write through the medium. Hold very steady, and he will try first to draw".

We turned the page and a sketch was made, rudely enough of course, but with much apparent care.

"Very sorry can't do better. Was meant for test. Must write for you instead. - J. G".

We do not fully understand the first drawing, taking it for two arms and hands clasped, one coming down from above. Mr. Wedgwood asked the spirit of J. G. to try again, which he did.

Below the drawing he wrote: "Now look." We did, and this time com. prehended the arm and sword.

" Now I will write for you if you like".

Mr. W.: "What did the drawing represent? "

"Something that was given me".

I said: "Are you a man or a woman?"

"Man. John G".

Mr. W.: " How was it given to you?"

"On paper and other things. . . . My head is bad from the old wound I got there when I try to write through mediums".

Mr. W.: "We don't know J. G. Have you anything to do with us? "

"No connection".

Mr. W. said he knew a J. Giffard, and wondered if that was the name.

"NotGiffard. Gurwood".

Mr. W. suggested that he had been killed in storming some fort.

"I killed myself on Christmas Day, years ago. I wish I had died fighting".

"Were you a soldier?"

"I was in the army".

"Can you say what rank?"

"No. ... It was the pen did for me, and not the sword".

The word pen was imperfectly written, and I thought it was meant for fall. I asked if this was right?

"No".

Mr. W.: "Is the word pen?"

"Yes; pen did for me".

We suggested that he was an author who had failed, or had been maligned.

" I did not fail. I was not slandered. Too much for me after . . . pen was too much for me after the wound".

"Where were you wounded, and when did you die?"

"Peninsula to first question".

We were not sure about the word Peninsula, and asked him to repeat.

"I was wounded in the head in Peninsula. It will be forty-four years next Christmas Day since I killed myself. Oh, my head. ... I killed myself. John Gurwood".

"Where did you die?"

"I had my wound in 1810. I cannot tell you more about myself. The drawing was a test".

We asked if the device was intended for his crest.

"I had it seal".

"Had it anything to do with your wound?" (I cannot remember the exact form of this question).

"It came from that and was given me. Power fails to explain. Remember my name. Stop now".

The only person besides ourselves present at the sitting was Miss H., an aunt of Mrs. R.'s, and none of us knew anything of Colonel Gurwood beyond the fact of his having edited the despatches of the Duke of Wellington, not even that his name was John. It is possible that I might have heard of his suicide at the time that it occurred, without its making any impression on me, but I am sure I did not read such an obituary notice as would be published in the Times, and when my attention was directed to his editorial work eighteen or twenty years afterwards I did not know whether he was alive or dead, and was entirely ignorant of his military career. I never read any history of the Peninsular War, and am perfectly certain that I never had an opportunity of seeing Gurwood's crest, or knowing anything about it. - H. W.

The following is the account Mr. Wedgwood wrote of the first seance at the time:-

June 26th, 1889. Had a sitting at planchette with Mrs. R. this morning. Planchette said there was a spirit there who thought he could draw if we wished it. We said we should be glad if he would try. Accordingly P. made a rude attempt at a hand and arm proceeding from an embattled wall and holding a sword. A second attempt made the subject clearer. P. said it was meant for a test. The spirit signed it "J. G.," no connection of any of ours, he said. We gradually elicited that his name was John Gurwood, who was wounded in the Peninsula, in 1810, and killed himself on Christmas Day, 1845. It was not the wound, but the pen that did it.

Something like that.

July 5th, 1889.

I made the foregoing memorandum the same day, having very little expectation that there would be any verification. H. Wedgwood.

Further Extracts from Mrs. R.'s Journal.

Friday, September 27th.

Mr. Wedgwood came, and we had two sittings in the afternoon and evening. I think the same spirit wrote throughout, beginning without signature; but when we asked the name, writing (after some struggle and illegibility) "John Gurwood".

The effort was at first incoherent, but developed into the following sentences:-

"Sword - when I broke in, on the table with plan of fortress - belonged to my prisoner; I will tell you his name to-night. It was on the table when I broke in. He did not expect me; I took him unawares. He was in his room, looking at a plan, and the sword was on the table. Will try and let you know how I took the sword to-night".

In the evening after dinner:-

"I fought my way in. His name was Banier" (three times repeated). "The sword was lying on the table by a written scheme of defence. Oh, my head. Banier had a plan written out for the defence of the fortress. It was lying on the table, and his sword was by it".

To a question:-

"Yes; surprised him".